Chip designer Nvidia said that the United States has expedited new export restrictions which effectively block the sale of its high-end artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China, with the rules coming into effect the preceding Monday.
Initially, these restrictions were planned to be enforced 30 days from October 17, when the Biden administration announced its intention to prevent certain countries, including China, Iran, and Russia, from obtaining advanced AI chips developed by Nvidia and other companies.
The restrictions specifically target the export of Nvidia's specialised advanced AI chips, models A800 and H800, which were designed for the Chinese market in compliance with previous export regulations. Additionally, other chips from Nvidia, namely the A100, H100, and L40S, are also affected by the new curbs.
Following the regulations set in 2022, Nvidia had developed the A800 and H800 chips, which were slower compared to its premier A100 and H100 chips but were in compliance with the existing export guidelines.
In a filing on Tuesday, Nvidia stated that it does not anticipate a near-term impact on its earnings due to the new export restrictions, although it did not provide an explanation as to why the U.S. government decided to accelerate the enforcement of these rules.
The updated restrictions will also have implications for Intel, as its Gaudi2 AI chip will be affected. A U.S. official elucidated that the new rule would bar Nvidia from selling the A800 and H800 GPU chips in China.
The acceleration of these export curbs reflects a tightening in trade relations between the U.S. and China, particularly in the high-tech sector. This move is seen as part of a broader U.S. strategy to curb the technological advancement of nations it views with skepticism, with AI chip technology being a crucial element in contemporary tech and defense sectors.
Nvidia remains a significant entity in the global AI chips market with a wide range of products, continually driving advancements in AI technology.
The full spectrum of implications resulting from these accelerated export curbs is yet to be seen, as nations compete for dominance in pivotal tech domains like artificial intelligence, which are considered essential for future technological and geopolitical ascendancy.
